The Crucifixion
And those who passed by heaped abuse on Him, shaking their heads Matthew 27:39 · Berean Standard Bible
People walking by hurl insults at Jesus, shaking their heads in contempt.
A thousand years earlier, a psalm described this exact scene — people mocking and shaking their heads at God's chosen one. Every gesture was foreseen.
The narrator describes the cruel mockery from ordinary people passing by the cross.
Strangers on the road stop to taunt a dying man. The casual cruelty of it is breathtaking — and it fulfills Scripture word for word.
Passersby blaspheme (eblasphemoun) Jesus, shaking their heads (kinountes tas kephalas) — a gesture of contempt drawn directly from Psalm 22:7 and Lamentations 2:15.
The head-shaking mockery fulfills Psalm 22:7 precisely: 'All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads.' The accusation of blasphemy falls on the mockers themselves.
The narrator describes the crowd's mockery of the crucified Jesus.
The passersby unknowingly perform the choreography of Psalm 22, shaking their heads exactly as David prophesied — mocking the fulfillment while fulfilling the prophecy.
37Above His head they posted the written charge against Him:
38Two robbers were crucified with Him, one on His right and the other on His left.
39And those who passed by heaped abuse on Him, shaking their heads
40and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross!”
41In the same way, the chief priests, scribes, and elders mocked Him, saying,
Read all of Matthew 27 — The climax of the story. Every thread — sacrifice, covenant, prophecy, promise — converges at a cross outside Jerusalem.
This page covers one. BibleKey does all 31,102 — tap any verse for its meaning, any word for its Hebrew or Greek root, and keep reading without leaving the chapter.
Not just the famous ones. BibleKey is free on iPhone and iPad.
Download on the App StoreFree on iPhone & iPad